Toyota Drops FT-CH Hybrid at 2010 NAIAS
Toyota has been teasing their PH-AT, I mean, FT-CH Hybrid concept car since last year’s European and Asian auto shows. Now, the funky Euro-style Toyota FT-CH has been officially introduced at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit Rock City.
But you may think FT-CH is a design departure for the Japanese auto maker, that’s because this hybrid car comes out of the Nice, France studio for Toyota.
One of several fancy eco-friendly cars coming your way from the world’s largest hybrid producer, this New Toyota is a small aquatic creature-looking vehicle that strays away from almost anything related to the brand – aside from “hybrid” logo and Toyota seal. FT-CH is still in early production phases, and no word on what the final model will look like, or how it will perform. Though, it being related to the Prius, FT-CH will most likely have a small battery-electric recharging engine based off brake-enhanced lithium-ion power cells.
According to Jalopnik: “The FT-CH is the first piece of Toyota’s “Prius family” marketing strategy, an approach that the Japanese firm claims its customers and dealers have been asking for. It is twenty-two inches shorter than a Prius and less than one inch narrower, and it’s intended to port Toyota’s hybrid philosophy into a fun small car. Production plans have not been announced, but given that Toyota plans to introduce a raft of new hybrids over the next few years, it’s probably safe to say that the FT-CH’s reception will be closely watched.”
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